HOERSKOOL BRITS

Thu 19 May 2005 | 12:00

HOERSKOOL BRITS

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School Profile

Hoërskool Brits in the town of Brits is a big school and it takes its rugby seriously.

Brits in North West Province, north of Pretoria and on the way to Rustenburg was founded in 1924 on a farm belonging to Gert Brits, hence the name of the town. It is a farming area, well supplied with water from Hartebeespoort Dam, providing for tobacco, maize and citrus farming and feeding the game farms in the area. De Wildt Cheetah Centre is nearby as well as the Vaalkop Dam reserve.

The school grew out of Brits Middelbareskool and became Hoërskool Brits in 1942, the cornerstone of the main building laid in 1945. In 1947 it had 382 pupils, now it has some 1 190 pupils, about 680 of whom are boys.

The Brits 1st XV played its first match on 7 May 1943. Their opponents were Affies of Pretoria. In that very first year the team played in the final of the Administrator's Cup, spoiling the romance by losing. The first cup the school won was in 1949 when the Under-15 team won.

In 1950 A Herbst, captain two years in a row, was the first Brits player picked for the Northern Transvaal Schools team – as fullback. In 1960 it made its first tour – down to the Cape.

In 1966, when Northern Transvaal still included far North, South Eastern Transvaal and Lowveld, Brits became the champions for the first time.

In 1980 the 1st XBV were the Northern Transvaal champions, falling out in the semi=-final of the Administrator's Cup.

In 1995 Brits moved from Northern Transvaal/Blue Bulls to North West/Leopards, with immediate success in competitions.

Down the years Brits has been regularly represented at Craven Week. Up to 1994 25 players played for Northern Transvaal and since 1995 five have represented the Leopards, including Rufus Holtzhausen, the 2005 captain who was at the 2004 Craven Week in Nelspruit. Hein Schnell captained the Northern Transvaal team and Stefan le Roux played for SA Schools two years in a row.

Prop Piet Kruger is the only Old Boy Springbok in the 15-man game but Helgard Brink has played for and captained the Sevens Springboks. Old Boys' who have played provincial rugby include Hein Schnell (Western Transvaal), André Skinner (Northern Transvaal and Transvaal), Ronnie Levin (Northern Transvaal), Peet Kleynhans (Northern Transvaal), who coached Free State, Bobby Myburgh (Northern Transvaal), Chris Luther (Northern Transvaal) and Jan Viljoen (Leopards). The rugby writer George van Eck is an Old Boy.